Nanny stabbed 3-year-old’s granddad over 40 times with screwdriver when he came to check on toddler whose mom was out of town: Prosecutors
A quiet evening in Royal Oak, Michigan, transformed into a scene of unmitioned horror when a trusted family nanny allegedly turned a household tool into a weapon of brutal violence. Prosecutors contend that Samantha Booth, a 35-year-old nanny who had been known to the family for two years, stabbed 83-year-old David Ong more than 40 times with a screwdriver. The tragic incident occurred inside a suburban home while the child’s mother was out of town, leaving the elderly grandfather to conduct what should have been a routine welfare check on his two-year-old granddaughter.
The details that emerged during the preliminary examinations paint a chilling picture of an abrupt descent into chaos, allegedly fueled by substance abuse and severe mental distress. From bloody selfies taken with the toddler in the aftermath of the murder to a naked foot chase down a residential street, the case has shaken the local community and left a family dealing with profound grief and lasting psychological trauma.
A Routine Welfare Check Turns Fatal
The chain of events began on the afternoon of October 24, 2025. The mother of the two-year-old girl was out of town and had left her daughter in the care of Samantha Booth. For the past two years, Booth had worked for the family intermittently without any notable incidents. Earlier that day, Booth appeared to be acting normally, displaying no outward signs of aggression or instability.
However, communication abruptly ceased as evening approached. Around 6:40 p.m., the mother attempted to contact Booth to check on her daughter, but her calls went unanswered. Over the next hour, she made multiple attempts to get in touch through phone calls, text messages, and Facebook messages, all to no avail. Growing increasingly anxious, she reached out to her father, David Ong, who lived in nearby Bloomfield Hills, and asked him to visit the Royal Oak home on Sheridan Drive to ensure everything was safe.
David Ong arrived at the residence at approximately 7:40 p.m. and briefly communicated with his daughter, telling her not to worry. It would be the last time his family spoke to him. When Ong also stopped answering his phone, the mother’s anxiety escalated, prompting her to contact her brother-in-law to go to the house and investigate.
Discovery, Confrontation, and a “Horror Movie” Escape
When the child’s uncle arrived at the residence, he found the front door unlocked. Upon entering, he heard unusual noises coming from the basement. He called out for Booth, but received no response. Intuiting that something was seriously wrong, he walked down the basement stairs, only to be met with a nightmarish scene.
David Ong lay unresponsive and severely wounded on the basement floor. Booth was present, covered heavily in blood. The two-year-old toddler was also in the basement, physically unharmed but trapped in the middle of the violence.
The uncle moved quickly to rescue his niece. As he picked up the toddler to escape, Booth allegedly lunged at him, initiating a desperate confrontation. To defend himself and the young child, the uncle grabbed a nearby highchair, using it to strike Booth in the chest and push her to the ground. He then ran up the stairs and burst out of the house into the dark residential street, with a blood-soaked Booth pursuing them closely.
Outside, neighbors who were gathering around a backyard bonfire heard frantic screams for help. Witnesses later testified that they saw a man running down the street clutching a toddler, pursued by a woman acting erratically. According to police reports, Booth dropped the screwdriver she was holding and stripped off all her clothing during the chase. Neighbors rushed the uncle and the terrified toddler into a house for safety and immediately called emergency services.
When Royal Oak police officers arrived on the scene, they encountered Booth outside, naked and covered in blood. After a brief foot chase, officers subdued and arrested her. Inside the home, emergency responders discovered the body of David Ong at the bottom of the basement stairs. A bag had been placed over his head, and three screwdrivers were found discarded near his body.
Graphic Medical Evidence: Over 40 Penetrating Wounds
During court proceedings, prosecutors introduced highly graphic and detailed forensic evidence regarding the extent of the attack. Dr. Ljubisa Dragović, the Chief Medical Examiner for Oakland County, testified about the nature of David Ong’s injuries. The autopsy report revealed that the 83-year-old grandfather had suffered more than 40 penetrating wounds concentrated primarily on his head and face. Additional defense and puncture wounds were documented across his chest, back, hands, and forearms.
Dr. Dragović stated that the patterns of the wounds were entirely consistent with the use of a screwdriver or a similar narrow, sharp-force tool. He explained that some of the injuries overlapped, indicating that the total number of blows might have been even higher than the 40 explicitly cataloged. The force of the attack was severe enough to fracture facial bones and cause massive internal bleeding into the victim’s mouth and nasal cavities.
Crucially, the medical examiner testified that the injuries were not instantaneously fatal. The presence of defensive wounds on Ong’s hands and forearms demonstrated that the elderly man actively attempted to shield himself and fight off his attacker. Dr. Dragović noted that it was a prolonged process during which the victim was still breathing and inhaling blood while attempting to defend his life. The formal cause of death was ruled a homicide resulting from multiple sharp-force injuries and subsequent complications.
Disturbed Behavior and the Digital Footprint
Beyond the physical evidence at the crime scene, investigators uncovered disturbing digital evidence that further underscored the erratic nature of the crime. Royal Oak Police Detective Keith Bierenga testified that a forensic analysis of David Ong’s cell phone revealed approximately six to eight “selfie” photographs taken immediately after the murder.
The photographs, captured in the basement laundry room where the killing took place, showed Samantha Booth covered in blood while posing next to the two-year-old toddler. This evidence proved particularly jarring to prosecutors and family members, as it highlighted a total detachment from the gravity of the act while the young child was present.
Law enforcement officials also testified to Booth’s unstable behavior while in police custody. Detective Dan Pelletier recalled an interview with Booth shortly after her arrest. He testified that the conversation proceeded relatively normally for the first twenty minutes until he asked for her contact information. At that point, Booth’s demeanor shifted violently. She began screaming her email address at the top of her lungs, stood up, and advanced toward the detective with her hands extended, shouting “oh daddy” repeatedly while moaning and screaming.
The Legal Proceedings and Defense Arguments
Samantha Booth was formally charged with multiple severe felonies, including first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of resisting or obstructing a police officer. Her initial arraignment faced delays due to her refusal to cooperate; during video court proceedings from her jail cell, she reportedly lay naked on the floor and refused to cover herself or face the camera, forcing officials to complete the arraignment off-camera.
The prosecution has strongly asserted that substance abuse played a major role in the violent outburst. Investigators recovered suspected psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana from Booth’s purse at the scene. Prosecutors argue that she was actively under the influence of these hallucinogenic substances when she carried out the attack on David Ong.
Conversely, Booth’s defense attorney, Jim Amberg, has argued that the incident was the result of a severe, unprompted mental health crisis rather than premeditated murder. The defense characterized the tragedy as a “frenzy situation” born out of a sudden manic episode, maintaining that Booth had no prior history of violence and no logical motive to harm a family member who had trusted her for two years.
Despite the defense’s objections and arguments regarding her mental state, District Court Judge Andrew Kowalkowski ruled that the sheer volume of injuries, the concealment of the victim’s head with a bag, and the subsequent actions of the suspect provided sufficient evidence of premeditation and intent. Booth was denied bond and ordered to stand trial on all counts.
Aftermath and Legacy of David Ong
The devastating loss has left the Ong family shattered. The mother of the toddler testified about the profound emotional toll the event has taken on her daughter. Now old enough to articulate some of her memories, the young girl suffers from severe acute post-traumatic stress disorder, frequently waking up screaming in the middle of the night from vivid nightmares of the basement encounter. The mother also noted that when she was finally permitted back into her home, she found Booth’s personal items scattered about in disarray, describing them as “witchcraft type items” that added to the eerie transformation of her household.
David Ong is remembered by his community and family as a deeply gentle, humble, and supportive man. Married for over 60 years, he was a dedicated father of four and a grandfather to 11 children. His life was defined by his faith and an unwavering commitment to his loved ones—a commitment that ultimately led him to the Royal Oak home that Friday night to ensure his granddaughter’s safety. As the legal system moves forward, the family continues to seek justice for a patriarch whose final act was one of protective love.
You can view this regional news report detailing the preliminary court hearings and witness accounts: WDIV Local 4 News Coverage on the Nanny Trial. This broadcast features direct testimonies from the responding officers and the forensic findings presented by the medical examiner during the trial preparation.
